On May 4, 1886 a ralley in support of striking workers in Chicago turned deadly when someone threw a bomb into the crowd. The resulting violence claimed the death of several police officers and civilians. This event generated much debate in America over the rights of workers in society. Today we celebrate May Day largely in honor of this event.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War. The Civil War offically began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumpter in South Carolina. To learn more about the Civil War and see digitized photographs from the time visit the Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov/index.html.